I went to Maine and left my oil paints at home

I love oil paints. There's something about the tactile nature of them that appeals to me. I love the depth of their colors. I love that they take hours or days (or longer...) to dry. I can paint with other paints, even make beautiful things with other paints, but given the option, I will pick oils every time. I love oil paints. But. I don't love traveling with oil paints: they are messy, and heavy, and clumsy, and involve lots of "stuff" to pack, and the TSA in fond of confiscating them. I have a system, of course, because I have traveled with them often, but it's still always a hassle. So I decided to try a new paint (okay, not a new paint, an old paint, but new to me): gouache. In a nut shell, they are opaque watercolors: you get to paint on paper, they wash with water, they dry quickly. They sat in my studio giving me the stink eye for weeks..."You're ignoring us," they said. I ignored them; I had oil paint. But I did think they might be the solution to my travel painting, and I knew the only way I would use them, would practice with them until I was comfortable with them, was if I took them somewhere and left my oil paints at home. So I went to Maine, left my beloved paints at home, and tried out this gouache business. I don't hate them. (I'm queen of the understated compliment.) They are not oils. But. They might make a close second, which is pretty exciting, and totally worth it, then, to travel with a close second that weighs next to nothing and simplifies your travel baggage immensely. So here's a peak into my sketchbook from Maine, gouache and all: